13 draft prospects Panthers could be keeping an eye on for 2017 NFL Draft

The Carolina Panthers did not play over the weekend, but that hasn’t kept fans thinking about the quick descent from a Super Bowl contender to a team projected to hold a top-10 pick in the upcoming draft. Instead of analyzing every detail of this 1-5 team, I have elected to look to the future by taking a closer look at some college players the Panthers will likely focus on ahead of the draft.

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Pat Elflein, OG/C, Ohio State

The Panthers have a great interior offensive line currently. If the Panthers draft Elflein it will be due to Andrew Norwell being allowed to walk in free agency or because the team plans on allowing Trai Turner to leave in 2018.

Elflein is a fifth-year graduate player who has a degree in communications and is a team captain. He is a road-grading offensive guard who uses balance and leverage to push defenders back. On top of that, he is a hardworking and disciplined player who would fit into the Panthers’ culture and offensive line quickly and effectively.

Conor McDermott, OT, UCLA

Before I start, no he is not the son of Carolina’s defensive coordinator Sean McDermott. McDermott is a former basketball player who came to UCLA under 240 pounds. However, he is a textbook example of what general Dave Gettleman calls a “hog molly.”

He stands at 6-foot-8 and over 300 pounds now and is a pure athlete. His length and quick feet are things that cannot be taught. He is incredibly raw though and will require a lot of coaching in order to become a NFL-caliber offensive tackle.

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Daniel Carlson, K, Auburn

Before you get mad that there is a kicker on this list, just think about how Graham Gano has fared this year . . . It has not been pretty. Now, that isn’t saying Carolina will pull a Tampa Bay Buccaneers and grab him in the second round, but they could spend some time looking at him closer.

Carlson has not missed a single extra point in his three years at Auburn, which totals 126-consecutive extra points made. On top of that, he is the SEC leading scorer currently. Taking his career average for points and projecting them over a 16 game regular season gives you 140 points per season. In comparison Graham Gano has averaged 118 points per 16 games over his career. Basically, if Gano continues to spiral down, then Carlson could be the long-term answer at kicker.

Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M

Myles Garrett is considered the best prospect in the draft right now and it is easy to see why. If the Panthers are going to have a top-three pick, then grabbing Myles Garrett could be likely and could make many fans forget about a lackluster season.

Adding Garrett’s rare pass rushing ability to the Panthers’ defense would make the unit a top-five defense in the league quickly. His unique blend of power, size and speed has not been seen since Denver Broncos pass rusher Von Miller and he has the potential to impact games in a similar fashion if he lives up to that potential.

Having both Garrett and linebacker Luke Kuechly on the same defense would be enough to make teams considering punting on first.

Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn

Lawson has fallen to the wayside when it comes to pass rushers entering the 2017 draft for some reason. Many have him projected as a late-first/early-second-round pick, which would mean the Panthers could potentially grab both Lawson and Garrett in the same draft. If that were to happen, people would be claiming “Gettlemagic” for years to come.

Lawson is easily the second-best pass rusher in the draft. His deficiencies come against the run and are generally due to over pursuit and poor decisions. Lawson is a speed-based rusher who gets off the line faster than anyone else and has the body control to slip past offensive linemen easily.

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Julie’n Davenport, OT, Bucknell

Davenport is a small-school prospect who is 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds. While his small school background might have him overlooked by teams, Davenport is a giant who is both fast and ferocious. I can’t think of anyone an offensive line coach like John Matsko would want to get their hands on more.

For those of you who do not know what Bucknell is, it is a small Pennsylvania college that is focused on engineering and is academics oriented. Because of this, it is safe to say that the fast, ferocious giant is also likely very intelligent. He could be a great pick in the mid rounds and is definitely another player the Panthers should be watching closely.

James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh

Conner is a cancer survivor who has been slowly building back to the prospect he was his freshman year. He is a hardworking, bruising back who has the ability and vision to succeed in the NFL.

However, because of his illness, he is still trying to regain form. The Panthers will likely keep tabs on how he progresses over the season and if they like the growth, they see may grab him in the later rounds.

Michael McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame

McGlinchey is often considered the best offensive tackle in this draft. However, the tackle position is fairly weak and being the best this year does not mean he would have been a top-five tackle in past years. Furthermore, McGlinchey has stated he will return to Notre Dame for his senior year. The Panthers will likely keep an eye on him and if he does come out for the draft they may take him near the end of the first or early-second round, based on their draft position.

Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee

Barnett is considered the second or third-best defensive end prospect in the draft. He is seen more as an effort defensive end than a pure athlete and relies on timing and technique to beat blockers.

Barnett is not truly explosive, but he is more technically sound than other highly-ranked defensive ends in the draft. The Panthers will likely keep an eye on him just in case they cannot grab Myles Garrett due to draft position.

Desmond King, CB, Iowa

King was my second highest-rated corner for the 2016 draft. However, he returned to school and has continued to play at an extremely high level. I am one of the few who believe the Panthers’ secondary is set for the future, but even I acknowledge that the Panthers need to find a great nickel cornerback.

King is best fit to play nickel and could be the final piece of a full cornerback retool. The Panthers will likely monitor how he does and may draft him based on how they do and who is left on the board.

Jabrill Peppers, Michigan

If you didn’t notice, I didn’t give Peppers a position. He is a defensive weapon who could fit in at safety, linebacker, cornerback and if you really want to stretch it, even defensive end. Peppers is a rare athlete who has insane playmaking abilities.

While the Panthers do not need a safety or linebacker as much, Peppers’ talent and potential is so much higher than Kurt Coleman, Tre Boston or even Thomas Davis at this point and grabbing a player of that caliber is difficult to pass up. The Panthers will monitor him because of their uncertainty when it comes to draft position. If they cannot grab an elite pass rusher, then Peppers is likely the next highest impact player they could draft.

Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

With running back Jonathan Stewart a likely candidate for the salary cap chopping block, the Panthers would be ignorant to not keep an eye on Fournette. Adding a running back who has been touted as the next Adrian Peterson to a backfield with Cam Newton would inspire fear in just about every defensive coordinator. Fournette is also the best running back fit for the Panthers offensive scheme because he is a bruising back who can break tackles and block when needed.

Fournette could even be the first running back in a long time to earn a first-overall selection in the draft. That is how highly touted this kid is.

O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama

Veteran tight end Greg Olsen has to start regressing at some point as he ages. This gets said every year and every year Olsen proves it wrong. However, he simply cannot continue the level of production he has in the long term. Even if he can, adding a top tier tight end like Howard would be akin to adding Martellus Bennett to a tight end group led by Rob Gronkowski with the New England Patriots.

Two tight end sets would become mandatory and having Howard, Kelvin Benjamin, Olsen and Devin Funchess as the four receiving options on the field would just be unfair especially if there is a back like Leonard Fournette in the backfield and Cam Newton at quarterback.

Howard is a good blocking tight end who moonlights as a receiver with super soft hands. In other words, he is a perfect heir apparent to Olsen for Carolina.